VaST Systems Technology

About VaST Systems Technology

VaST Systems Technology Corporation operated in the semiconductor and electronic design automation (EDA) sector, providing tools and models for embedded systems design. Founded in 1997 by Graham Hellestrand, the company was based in Sunnyvale, California. Hellestrand, who served as president and CEO, based the company on research he conducted as a professor of computer science and engineering at the University of New South Wales in Australia.

The company specialized in solutions for electronic systems virtualization, enabling developers to create virtual prototypes of systems-on-a-chip (SOCs). This technology allowed for software development to begin much earlier—up to nine to twelve months before the physical silicon chip was available—significantly accelerating the development cycle for electronics in the automotive and consumer markets. VaST's core business involved supplying these advanced ESL (Electronic System Level) engineering tools and models to companies manufacturing high-performance, real-time electronic systems. Its client base included system architects, hardware designers, and software developers.

VaST developed a suite of products, including CoMET, a system engineering tool for creating software simulation-based virtual prototypes, and METeor, a complementary software development environment for embedded systems. The METeor environment allowed software engineers to work directly on a virtual target processor, providing insights into the architecture's performance and potential bottlenecks. Another key offering, Metrix, analyzed the behavior and performance of hardware and software components within these virtual prototypes. The company's technology was noted for its high-speed simulation capabilities.

After raising over $24 million in funding from investors including Allen & Buckeridge, Foundation Capital, GoAhead Ventures, and Mohr Davidow Ventures, VaST Systems Technology was acquired by Synopsys, Inc. on February 1, 2010. The acquisition was a strategic move by Synopsys to enhance its virtual prototyping portfolio, particularly by integrating VaST's extensive set of processor sub-system models for the automotive and consumer electronics sectors.